A Dish from the Past
by canadiannotamerican
Summary: Toph's boyfriend has a question for her about her cooking.


"It's not that I'm complaining or anything," the man said. "But is there a reason you only ever cook water tribe food?"

"You don't like it, learn to cook for yourself," his girlfriend responded. She brushed aside a thick strand of hair that had been tickling her nose, her other hand was occupied by stirring a large metal pot full of a viscous liquid. Toph Beifong usually didn't bother with silly things like wifely duties. It really was a miracle she was bothering to cook for him at all.

"No, no, nono. I _like_ water tribe food. Really." Yes, commence backpedalling. Toph smirked. "I just think it's a little odd, don't you? You're an earth kingdom citizen _and_ an earthbender. Why don't you cook earth kingdom food?"

" _You're_ an earth kingdom citizen and an earthbender and _you_ claim to like water tribe food. Am I not allowed the same?"

"I still eat other things," he responded.

"So do I."

"Stop avoiding the question."

Toph stopped tending to her pot for a second and turned vaguely in his direction. She could hear the half-congested nose breathing her boyfriend was notorious for, what with him managing to catch a cold every few months. He was fiddling nervously with a pair of chopsticks that was sitting on the counter beside him.

Wimp.

She turned back to her pot and picked up the spoon, giving it a hearty stir. "I never learned how to cook earth kingdom food, okay? I'm not exactly known for my skills as a chef."

"Why didn't you learn to cook earth kingdom food? It couldn't hurt to have a little taste of home every now and then."

"Look, I'm a Beifong, right?"

"Uh, yes?"

"So even if my parents _didn't_ think I was a helpless little blind girl, they wouldn't have taught me to cook anyway. That's servant work. Who exactly was going to teach me to cook?"

"Oh, right." He fiddled with the chopsticks some more. "So where did you pick up water tribe cooking?" Toph didn't answer, choosing instead to glare blindly at her pot of fishy stew. "You spent a lot of time traveling with the avatar and his wife. Did Katara teach you?"

"Not exactly," Toph responded.

"So where did you learn?"

Toph let go of the spoon and turned sharply in her boyfriend's direction. She planted her hands on her hips, scrunching her nose into a sneer. "Fine," she snapped. "You want to know where I learned water tribe cooking, I'll tell you. But you better hunker down because I'm about to tell you an intensely half-baked story."

* * *

"Alright Toph, it's not too far down-"

"I know how to climb off of Appa, Snoozles. Quit babying me."

She was cold. Far too cold to even bother pretending to be nice. She was bundled in a thick, furry coat and turtle seal skin pants, but worst of all, her feet were heavily bundled as well. Toph knew she was going to hate the south pole before she left, and boy was she right.

"Sorry. It's just, there's no earth around here to help you see. I'm just a little worried-"

Toph vaulted over the saddle and dropped into the snow next to him, causing the water tribe warrior to yelp in surprise. She swatted angrily in the direction of his voice.

"In case you've forgotten, _every_ time I climb off of Appa I can't see what I'm doing. After years of this I know his saddle like the bottom of my foot." Toph huffed and held out the crook of her arm in Sokka's direction. "Now lead me to this majestic home of yours, oh great and powerful boomerang man."

There was the crunching of snow behind her as two people walked up to them. "It really does mean a lot to us that you agreed to come here," said Katara.

"Ya, whatever. Let's get this wedding over with so I can go back home where it's warm and covered in dirt." Toph shivered in the cold as Sokka took hold of her arm. They began walking forward, Katara and Aang going ahead of them due to Toph's slow pace. Katara's footsteps crunched noisily in the snow, though they weren't nearly as loud as Sokka's. Aang's feet barely made a sound.

 _Typical Twinkletoes._

When they entered the village Toph focussed on the sound of her friends' footsteps. It wasn't too crowded around here, but she needed to hear something familiar to keep herself sane, and it would be easy enough to lose track of them what with all the other people tromping around. There was idle chatter around them, a few people still in awe of the avatar, and Toph thought she heard someone say something about a ceremonial polar bear dog hunt. She tried to block it all out.

"It really has come along nicely here," Aang said. "Wow, Sokka! Is that your watchtower?"

Sokka huffed. "Hardly. _My_ tower had spirit. That one's just..."

"Practical?" Katara offered. "Well constructed?"

"Hey!"

"It looks like a waterbender had at it," Aang said. "And a good one too."

"Why thank you, Avatar," said a voice from behind. Sokka jumped in surprise, yanking Toph's arm with him. Toph yelped, and grabbed at him with her other hand to steady herself. _She'd_ heard the man approach them from behind. Why couldn't Sokka be as observant?

"Grampakku!"

"Please don't call me that."

"The village looks great," Katara said. "I take it you've been helping with the construction?"

"Well, I don't exactly have anything better to do down here. Your tribe is still greatly lacking in waterbenders for me to teach. Although I did hear one of the little boys that was born a few years ago is showing promising signs."

"Is there anywhere we can go that isn't butt freezingly cold?" Toph asked, interrupting the conversation at hand. Toph had met Master Pakku before, but she didn't know him all that well. In fact, she didn't really know him at all, and this conversation was making her feel rather left out. She would probably have to get used to that for the next few days, but it didn't mean she had to like it.

"Of course," Pakku said. "Follow me. Your father and grandmother will be wanting to see you."

They trudged their way through the snow some more, Toph briefly tripping over a hunk of ice that Sokka swore he hadn't seen, but all in all they made it to the house in one piece. It was warmer inside and Sokka let go of her arm. There was a rustle of fabric.

"Toph, you can take off your coat. It's warm enough in here," Sokka said.

"You call this warm?" Toph snorted, but she complied anyway, handing the furry coat to the warrior.

"Dad!" Katara cried.

Sokka was unusually quick to abandon his charge at the house's doorway as he and Katara rushed over to their father. Toph stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. Pakku had also wandered off, and as for Aang? Well Toph really didn't know. Without the snow crunching under his feet he was probably capable of tiptoeing across the floor without making a sound.

A hand landed on her shoulder and Toph jumped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Aang said. Apparently he hadn't joined in the rush to greet Chief Hakoda.

"Well good," Toph said. She crossed her arms and glared in the direction of his voice. "Because you didn't scare me."

"Why don't you come sit by the fire?" Aang offered. Toph realised then that she was shivering ever so slightly and agreed. Aang led her over to a seat that Toph sank into gratefully. The fire crackled noisily to her right as her friends enthusiastically hugged and kissed and, _whatever_ was going on over there with their father. She didn't really know, but what she did know was that whatever it was, was getting closer.

"Dad, you remember Aang?" Katara said.

"Chief Hakoda," Aang said. Toph knew he was bowing.

"Avatar Aang. It's an honour to be welcoming you into our family," Hakoda said.

"It's a honour to be welcomed into your family, sir!"

"And Aang's earthbending teacher, Toph," Katara continued.

"Hey," was the only greeting Toph offered.

"Ah, yes. I remember you. You showed a lot of courage on the day of the black sun. You're a very skilled warrior."

"Thanks." Toph grinned. "You're not so bad yourself."

"How are you enjoying the south pole?" Chief Hakoda asked.

Toph wasn't sure how to answer that one. 'I'm not' was probably the wrong way to go. Instead, she settled for, "It's... cold." Chief Hakoda laughed.

"Yes, I suppose it can be hard to get used to," he said. "We'll do our best to make you feel comfortable of course. Just let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks."

When Master Pakku lead Katara and Sokka's grandmother into the room, there was another uproar of noise as Sokka and Katara rushed to greet her as well. Introductions were done all over again as Gran-Gran was allowed to sit down and soon all of them were sitting by the fire, catching up.

"I was very pleased to hear about the city you four are founding," said the old woman. "I knew you would go on to do great things. How is it going?"

"Oh, really well," Aang answered enthusiastically. Republic City was like Aangs child, and he was more than happy to spew all of its achievements to anyone who would listen. "There's still a lot of building to be done. And of course, we have to get the city's services up and running before we can have anyone else move in. Toph's attending a police academy near Omashu during the summer so that she can get down the basics for the police force."

" _She's_ attending a police academy?" Toph heard Pakku ask with distain. Toph glowered. "But she's blind. And a woman."

There was a fearful silence that followed. Finally Toph snorted in anger. "Who, _exactly_ , is this guy?" she asked. "Am I allowed to punch him?"

"Toph, _no_ ," Sokka said. "Gra- Pakku didn't mean to insult you."

"I can't think of what he _meant_ to do then," Toph seethed.

"My apologies," Pakku said. "The Northern Water Tribe is a different place with different rules. It is... unusual for a woman to be involved in any kind of fighting. But I realize that as the avatar's earthbending teacher you must be very skilled."

" _Very_ skilled," Toph said. "And don't you forget it."

"Toph actually invented an entirely new form of bending during the war," Katara said. "She discovered that it's actually possible for earthbenders to bend metal."

"Ah yes, Bumi was rambling on about something like that. I tend to ignore him when he's talking though. He's usually just babbling nonsense." Pakku's voice betrayed a hint of interest. "That is incredibly impressive, Miss Beifong. You truly are remarkable for a woman."

Toph heard something smack him. "My apologies, Kanna. I didn't mean it like that."

"That's alright," Gran-Gran stated patiently. "You're learning."

The conversation then turned to the upcoming wedding. Hakoda brought up the ceremonial polar bear dog hunt, which Aang had apparently adamantly refused to. Toph realised she had heard people talking about it outside, and while nobody in the room blamed Aang for his refusal, he was certainly being mocked for it by other members of the tribe.

There was also the unusual matter of food. Water tribe food was very meat focussed, and Aang, as a vegetarian, wasn't too pleased with the traditional wedding dishes that would be offered. Of course he wasn't going to deny Katara her traditional wedding feast, but there needed to be a mixture of air nomad and water tribe food available. After all, it was going to be his wedding too, and he had his own traditions to uphold. Fruit pies, for instance.

Soon, the chatter died down. Aang and Katara left to make sure Appa was settled and that the food they had brought for the air nomad dishes was stored safely. Gran-Gran offered to show a yawning Toph to her room while Sokka explored the new house. A house, he claimed, that didn't really feel like home anymore what with all the extra rooms.

What really bugged Toph was that she had to leave the house to pee. Having to be led by hand to an outhouse every time she needed to void her bladder was going to be very irritating. She made sure to take out her frustrations on Sokka before crawling into bed that night. At least the furs kept her from completely freezing her butt off.

The next day, wedding preparations were in full swing. Traditionally the bride's friends would be heavily involved in setting up while the men took the groom on his hunt. Sokka was taking the men out on a hunt, but it wasn't expected to be anything spectacular. Toph sat by the fire.

She wasn't going to be very useful at setting up decor, given that it was an aesthetic task. She couldn't help Katara with her clothes for the very same reason, and she wasn't much of a cook. Besides, she'd probably just fumble around the kitchen and end up burning herself. Everyone else was incredibly busy, and Toph was incredibly bored.

"Is everything alright?" Gran-Gran said from somewhere in front of her. It sounded like she was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"I'm frozen, and I have nothing to do. What do you think?"

"Why don't you come help me in the kitchen," the old woman said. "It's quite warm in here."

Toph didn't like the idea of cooking, but she liked the idea of being warm, and it was tempting if only for the close proximity to the stove. She got up and stumbled around the furniture towards the kitchen. As soon as she stepped inside she could feel it. Not the heat mind you, but the...

"Metal..." Toph murmured, eyes wide.

There were so many metal pots in the room, Toph didn't need to be touching them to know where they were. She smiled, reaching out towards one and letting its vibrations bring some of the table into focus. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than anything else around here.

Gran-Gran directed Toph easily. After all, Toph's mood had picked up since discovering the pots and she was happy to finally have something to do. It turned out cooking was actually easy. Gran-Gran had her seasoning meats for most of the day, and occasionally cutting some vegetables. The old woman's arms were weak and having Toph around to lift the heavy pots turned out to be a great advantage as well. As the ceremony drew near, the food was coming along nicely and the kitchen smelled fantastic. Aang eventually showed up to oversee the air nomad dishes, but Toph had very little interest in that vegetarian garbage. She stuck to stirring pots and rotating roasts as Gran-Gran helped the avatar with his favourite foods.

Soon it was time to leave the kitchen and attend the ceremony. Toph found the process to be very loud, with a lot of yelling and "singing". Zuko had shown up at some point during the day, but he wasn't planning on staying very long. There was still a lot of resentment towards the fire nation from many of the villagers and the new firelord didn't want to be subjected to that for too long.

In the end, she wasn't entirely sure what happened between Aang and Katara, but they were married now and Toph was happy for them.

Toph sat in between Sokka and Zuko during the feast. The water tribe warrior was very helpful in filling Toph's plate, steering clear of the veggie dishes and piling on the meat, just like she liked.

"Wow, Toph. You helped make this?" said Katara from Sokka's other side. "It's very good. You might just have a gift."

Toph snorted. "That's nice of you, Sugar Queen, but your grandmother did most of the work. You should be complimenting her, not me."

"Don't be too dismissive of your own talents," Gran-Gran said. "You picked up the cooking, and the cooking pots, thank you very much, quite quickly. I would be very grateful if you'd be willing to help me in the kitchen during your stay here."

Toph shrugged as she took a bite of her food. "It's better than sitting on the couch all day," she said through a mouthful of fish.

* * *

"Seriously?"

"What do you mean, seriously? You asked how I learned to cook water tribe food and I told you." Toph snorted and blew that same annoying strand of hair away from her nose. She probably needed a haircut.

"All you said was, 'Aang and Katara got married and I got bored, so I picked up a hobby.'"

"And that's what happened!"

"It's not much of a story," her boyfriend responded.

"Well, if you don't like my stories, don't ask me to tell any." Toph quickly turned off the stove and sauntered seductively over to her boyfriend. She ran a hand across his chiselled jaw.

"But what about the food?"

"The food was done like, ten minutes ago. Besides." Toph stood on her toes to bring her mouth level with his. "I thought maybe we could have desert first." She kissed him.

"What do you say, Kanto. Care to make an earthquake together?"


End file.
